Our Little Sister: Memory Album
by Dream Dragoness
Summary: Requested by Fang65. This is a collection of childhood memories experianced by the turtles and Athena as tots. This is connected with "Our Little Sister". Suggestions for memories are allowed.
1. Memory 1: Lullabies

**Memory 1**

**Lullabies**

_This fic details various memories and subtle developments for "Our Little Sister" as a request from Fang95. There will be some things that will only stay in "Our Little Sister", such as how Splinter found out about Athena being the Avatar. Trust me._

_I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender, The Legend of Korra, TMNT, or the songs that will be in this chapter._

* * *

_10 years ago…_

In the sewers of New York City, four turtle tots were struggling to get to sleep. But it was hard, since the baby of the family, their recently adopted sister Athena, wouldn't stop crying. Master Splinter told the boys that Athena was still young and many things would make her cry. But even the rat knew that Athena's constant crying was becoming unbearable.

Each brother took care of a certain task when it came to their sister. Mikey was in charge of bottles and soft foods for when she would grow older. Donny made toys and a new cradle and even helped Splinter prepare Athena's nursery. Leo had babysitting duties and clothing work, while Raph, unfortunately, was on diaper duty.

When they were first given these tasked, they thought it was going to be easy. Each one found that out the hard way at one point and had learned their lessons quickly. But still, even with what they knew, Athena just couldn't stop crying.

Then, one day, after feeding Athena, Mikey was watching 'Superman' when the theme song came on. Unfortunately, because of Athena's crying, Mikey couldn't hear the theme. So, like the Mikey we all know and love, decided to improvise. Grabbing an old oven mitt that Donny converted into a doll-like toy, Mikey got a piece of cloth and began to run around, vocalizing the Superman theme. But as he made it to the second line of the song, he noticed that Athena had quieted down.

Confused and concerned, he checked out the cradle-basket that he had placed Athena. The baby, dressed in a green sleeper and a fleece blanket over her lower body, looked up at the orange-bandana turtle tot with teary, curious green and blue eyes. It seemed fine, for a moment, when suddenly Athena began to bawl again, her face red from lack of proper air.

Mikey groaned from hearing his sister's wailing when he remembered what he did when Athena stopped crying. Hoping that this would stop his sister from crying, Mikey ran around the cradle, holding his toy in the air, sang the Superman theme for his sister. Just as he hoped, Athena stopped crying again.

After a couple of laps, Mikey soon grew tired and decided to sit down, forgetting about his sister for a moment. He croakily sang the song when he sat down on the floor next to the baby when he realized what he was doing. But before he could get up, Mikey looked into the cradle-basket and saw that Athena wasn't crying at all because he stopped moving.

Deciding to test something, Mikey went to the kitchen of their home and got a glass of water, silencing him for a moment. When he began to drink, he coughed in surprise when Athena began to cry again. While groaning, Mikey returned to his sister's side, glass of water in hand. Taking a few sips, he began to sing the song again. This time, softly.

Sure enough, to his surprise, Mikey's singing was enough to calm Athena down. Her face was no longer red from lack of air and her tears were evaporating. There was even a smile on her face. Seeing his sister's expression, Mikey grinned.

"Oh~! You like singing, don't ya, Sis?"

The baby, though an infant, giggled at her brother. With as smirk on his face, Mikey continued to sing until he managed to put Athena to sleep, giving him a break from his forced singing. He then took Athena to the nursery and, with lots of practice from the past; Mikey placed his sister into her crib and covered her with a blue blanket that had pink cherry blossoms on it.

Before he closed the crib, Mikey kissed his baby sister on the forehead and whispered.

"Sleep tight, Sis."

Quietly, he left the nursery and closed the drape that they were using for a door. When he returned to the living area, Mikey found his brothers standing in the middle of the room, giving him stunned looks.

Shrugging his shoulders, Mikey asked, "What?"

It was Raph who broke the silence.

"How did you get Athena to stop crying?"

Seeing that he did something that his 'slightly' older brothers couldn't do, he grinned widely as he told them what had happened.

"I think she just needs some lullabies until Master Splinter finds out what's wrong with her." He said afterwards.

Wondering if this statement was correct, the three remaining turtles decided to test out their brother's theory.

* * *

The second time it happened was when Donny was watching Athena while reading a book on songs that he and Splinter found in the sewers one day. He was in the middle of one particular song in general, Athena began to cry. On instinct, he grabbed a couple of toys and waved them at her. But to no avail.

He knew her personal feeding schedule and she just at and was also recently changed. He wondered what could be wrong. Remembering the other day when Mikey told the boys on how singing calmed her down, Donny decided to sing her a lullaby.

_You are my sunshine…_

_My only sunshine…_

_You make me happy,_

_When skies are grey…_

_You never know, dear,_

_How much I love you,_

_Please don't take my sunshine away…_

Athena quieted down as Donny continued to sing. Her blurred eyes began to clear as the melody went on.

_The other night, dear_

_When I lay sleeping,_

_I dreamt I held you_

_In my arms…_

_When I awoke, dear,_

_I was mistaken,_

_So I hung my head_

_And cried…_

Donny then gently rocked the cradle as Athena was calming down completely.

_You are my sunshine,_

_My only sunshine…_

_You make me happy,_

_When skies are grey…_

_You never know, dear,_

_How much I love you…_

_Please don't take my sunshine away…_

When the song was done, Donny looked into the cradle-basket and breathed a sigh of relief that Athena was no longer crying. She was not even fussy. With a smile on his face, the purple-clad turtle tot returned to his work, still humming his chosen lullaby.

* * *

"Aww, come on, Sis! I don't need you to cry right now."

Young Raphael groaned as it was he lamented having being tricked by Mikey for his turn to watch Athena that week. He never knew what to do when his sister would cry other than to feed her or check to see if she needed a fresh diaper.

"I swear, if you've left another bomb, I'll throw it at Mikey." He begged; his head unable to cease the vibrating his sister's voice was causing.

But Athena continued to cry, which left Raph with only one option.

After Donny told them what happened, he suggested that the remaining brothers would choose a lullaby or some sort of soft song to keep Athena from crying.

"It's the only way until Splinter tells us what's wrong with her." He explained.

Naturally, since it was the first song he sang to get her to sleep, Mikey chose the Superman theme while Donny went with _"You are My Sunshine". _

Fixated on Japanese traditions, Leo was going to find a lullaby from that nation, leaving Raph stranded without ideas. That is…until he was watching his favorite show: _**Fullmetal Alchemist **_the night before. (_AN: Ye_s,_ I'm letting a kid watch an anime like that, which one of my faves. I got into __**Inuyasha**__ when I was eleven, so why not five?)_

Taking in a deep breath and a major stab at his dignity, Raph set his sister down into a rocking cradle and began to sing his own version of the song _**"Brothers"**_.

_How can I repay you, sister mine…_

_How can I expect you to forgive…_

_Clinging to the past, I shared our blood_

_And shattered your chance to live~_

_Though I knew the laws,_

_I paid no heed…_

_How can I return your wasted breath…_

_What I did not know has cost you dear,_

_For there is no cure for death~_

As expected, Athena calmed down as she heard her toughest, most proud brother sing to her.

_Beautiful mother,_

_Soft and sweet…_

_Once you were gone_

_We were not complete…_

_Back through the years,_

_We reached for you…_

_Alas 'twas not meant to be~_

_And how can I make amends,_

_For all that I took from you…_

_I lead you with hopeless dreams…_

_My sister, I was a fool~_

Raph was worried that such a sad song would make Athena cry again. But as he dared to look at his sister, he saw that Athena was getting sleepy, smiling. She liked the melody. Breathing in a deep breath, Raphael continued.

_Don't cry for the past now,_

_Sister mine…_

_Neither you nor I _

_Are free from blame…_

_Nothing can erase the things we did,_

_For the paths we took were the same…_

_How can I expect _

_To call you wrong?_

_How can I blame you _

_For what I've done?_

_We were both fools _

_In our desires,_

_As we flew too close to the sun…_

Raph managed to smile as he watched his sister trying to stay awake for the whole song. _"She's stubborn. I'll give her that."_

_Beautiful mother,_

_Soft and sweet…_

_Once you were gone_

_We were not complete…_

_Back through the years,_

_We reached for you…_

_Alas 'twas not meant to be~_

_My dreams made me blind and mute…_

_I longed to return to that time…_

_I followed without a word…_

_My sister the fault is mine…_

Breathing deep again, Raph finished the song for his now slumbering sister.

_So where do we go from here…_

_And how to forget and forgive…_

_What's gone is forever lost…_

_Now all we can do is live~_

As he hummed the last of the melody, Raph tucked in Athena as he went to work picking up the lair. Only to discover later that his brothers had watched the whole thing. Needless to say, Mikey ended up with the weeks latest bruising.

* * *

When it was Leo's turn to sing to a fussy Athena, he was well prepared for what to sing. Since Donny's proposal on having their own lullabies, Leo did the one thing he always did when was trying to learn something Japanese. He asked Master Splinter. He had approached the rat and told him of Mikey's discovery and Donny's proposal. Upon hearing this, the rat smiled and taught a song he had heard his late Master Yoshi sing to children back in Japan.

Now, it was Leo's turn to sing the melody. After checking Athena's 'normal' needs, he picked up his sister, who was bundled in a green blanket, walked to a rocking chair, and began to rock gently as he sang the song '_Sakura, Sakura'. _In Japanese, of course.

_Sakura, sakura_

_Noyama mo sato mo_

_Miwatasu kagiri_

_Kasumi ka kumo ka_

_Asahi ni niou_

_Sakura, sakura_

_Hana zakari_

_Sakura, sakura_

_Yayoi no sora wa_

_Miwatasu kagiri_

_Kasumi ka kumo ka_

_Nioi zo izuru_

_Izaya, izaya_

_Mini yu kan_

He had also heard the English translation of the song and sang that as Athena quit fussing and was half-asleep.

_Cherry blossoms, cherry blossoms,_

_Blanketing the countryside,_

_As far as you can see._

_Is it a mist, or clouds?_

_Fragrant in the morning sun._

_Cherry blossoms, cherry blossoms,_

_Flowers in full bloom._

_Cherry blossoms, cherry blossoms,_

_Across the Spring sky,_

_As far as you can see._

_Is it a mist, or clouds?_

_Fragrant in the air._

_Come now, come,_

_Let's look, at last!_

That did it. In no time at all, Athena was fast asleep, nestled in her blanket against her brother's chest. A smile couldn't be prevented as Leo returned his sister to the crib. But as he was about to step away from the crib, Leo felt a small hand clutch his smallest finger. Looking at the crib, he saw Athena, still asleep, holding his finger. The smile becoming wider, Leo stayed in the nursery until Athena was off in dreamland completely.

* * *

And what was the problem with Athena, you ask? Well, after sneaking into libraries on various nights, Master Splinter was able to learn that Athena was suffering from colic the whole time. And it was thanks to his sons that his daughter's condition hadn't worsened.

But he was still unable to find out the cause for the colic through human research. So he decided to try something he had learned long ago.

With his sons' exhaustion from Athena's colic, Splinter had given them the night off, which they spent by going to bed early. He understood. Taking care of an infant can use up one's energy. Now with his eldest children in bed, he went to see to his youngest.

Upon entering the nursery, Splinter looked into the crib and saw Athena, asleep, fidgeting and groaning fearfully in her sleep. It was then that Splinter placed a small talisman on his daughter's forehead and chanted an incantation that not even the author of the fic could understand.

But with the talisman, he saw why Athena had been colic.

"So that is it."

Breaking the spell, Splinter removed the talisman and gently rubbed his daughter's head as he sang a lullaby from his homeland.

_Nennen yo , neru_

_Nemut ta akachan no kao ha , dono you ni kawaii desu _

_Me o samashi , sakebi de aru akanbou , _

_Nennen yo , kanojo no kao ga dono you ni mieru ka nikui ! _

_Nennen yo _

_Nennen yo , neru _

_Kyou ha kanojo no tanjou no 25 nichi desu . _

_Ashita ha , iki masu _

_Nennen yo , jinja he , _

_Nennen yo _

_Nennen yo , neru _

_Jinja ni touchaku shi te , anata ha nani no tame ni inoru no daro u ka ? _

_Kanojo no jinsei otooshite , kanojo ha kanou sei ga ari , _

_Nennen yo , kenkou teki _

_Nennen yo _

In English, the lullaby went like this.

_Hushabye, sleep_

_How cute is the face of the baby fallen asleep,_

_The baby who is awake and cries,_

_Hushabye, how hateful her face looks!_

_Hushabye_

_Hushabye, sleep_

_Today is the 25th day of her birth._

_Tomorrow we will go,_

_Hushabye, to the shrine,_

_Hushabye_

_Hushabye, sleep_

_Arriving at the shrine, what will you pray for?_

_Through her life, may she be,_

_Hushabye, healthy_

_Hushabye_

After he sang the lullaby, his daughter stopped fidgeting and returned to a peaceful sleep. As she slept, Splinter continued to rub his daughter's head, letting her know in her sleep that he was there.

"I see now. You were plagued with terrible nightmares for the past several nights. Do not worry, my daughter. Your brothers and I shall never leave you."

And since that night, everyone had a restful night's sleep. And whenever Athena had nightmares or was being fussy, her family would each sing their chosen song to her, telling her that everything was all right.

* * *

_There. Done with the first chapter. If anyone wants to input an idea for a memory the turtles and Athena should share, feel free to tell me. I will tell the name of the person who had the idea in the chapter._

**_The songs used in Athena's lullabies were:_**

**_Superman Theme_**

**_You are My Sunshine_**

**_Brothers_**

**_Sakura, Sakura_**

**_Chūgoku Region Lullaby_**

_All belong to their respectable Creators._

_Please Review._


	2. Memory 2: First Christmas

**Memory 2**

**First Christmas**

_Sorry for the long wait. Had to figure out what to next. Plus, I had a contest that demanded that I update every month for three of my fics. The present Splinter gives Athena its picture can be found at my bio._

* * *

It was two weeks after Athena was adopted and one week after Athena's colic was cured that Christmas was suddenly around the corner. And despite being mutants living in an underground sewers alcove under a metropolis, the four turtle brothers were super-excited about Christmas like any other child. Especially since this was going to be baby Athena's first Christmas, so the four brothers wanted to make this a special holiday.

With Splinter out to get a tree this particular Christmas Eve, the turtles were left with tending to Athena and the household decorating. Although with kids, it's hard to decorate nicely and the fact they can't stand on the stool without Master Splinter nearby to watch over them. But that didn't stop them from decorating what they could reach. That included Athena's cradle-basket.

The edges of the opening where Athena would be taken out or placed into were decorated with shimmering silver garland that Splinter found earlier in the season and Leo placed a perfectly-tied red ribbon at the top of the basket's canopy, just high enough to keep away from the tiny hands of little Athena.

In the basket, Athena was dressed in a green baby wrap and was tucked in with a candy cane-themed fleece blanket, fast asleep while her brothers, dressed in fleece ponchos in their favorite colors as they discussed the upcoming holiday.

"Ok. Tomorrow's Christmas day. What did you guys get Splinter?" Leo asked.

"I made him a picture of the six of us." Mikey announced, showing a kid's drawing of the family.

"I made a picture frame out of some wood I found in a storm drain." Donny announced, showing a wooden picture frame with spiral engravings that only a kid could manage.

"I made this." Raph muttered as he held out a string bracelet with five round beads on it. One in red, another in blue, a third in purple, a fourth in orange, and the fifth in a green and white swirl.

The boys didn't say anything and looked to Leo to see what he got for their sensei. "I painted a box I found in the sewers, thinking it might be useful." Leo showed his brothers a black box with pink cherry blossom petals floating away from a branch covered in cherry blossoms on the lid.

"What about Athena?" Mikey asked.

"Got her gift for Master Splinter covered." Leo answered by opening the box to show an origami swan covered in shimmering glitter.

"That's not what I mean." Mikey spoke, shaking his head.

Donny raised his brow in a questioning look.

"What do you mean then, Mikey?"

Michelangelo then gestured to the cradle-basket with both arms.

"I mean what did you guys get Athena for a present? 'Cause I haven't thought of anything."

That raised an interesting question among the remaining brothers.

What would the get for Athena for Christmas?

"Well I haven't gotten anything for her." Raphael admitted.

"This will prove difficult, considering we don't know what Athena will like when she's older." Donatello spoke.

Leonardo then lightly pounded the table they were circled around, careful not to wake his baby sister.

"We've got to get Athena something that will be a great part of her first Christmas. We'll do what we did for Splinter. We'll split up and figure out what to get Athena on our own. Then meet up to show what we're giving her."

The brothers nodded in agreement before giving high three's, which resulted in rudely awaking Athena and making the brothers groan.

* * *

Mikey was the first to get started with his project for his sister's present. A picture wasn't going to be enough to be a perfect gift. To help him think, Mikey grabbed his oven mitt super-hero toy and began to play with it. He remembered the day he made his toy out of an oven mitt, a piece of fabric, and two buttons he found in the sewer. With their 'predicament', the best current toys are far from reach, sometimes a homemade toy is just a great as the next action figure.

It was then that the idea hit him: Make a doll for Athena! Sure, he would have to work on his sewing. Thankfully, a part of the sewer nearby was under a fabric shop. Of course, he'd have to disobey Splinter's orders about going to the surface. But it was for his sister. So, like a shot, Mikey snuck out of the lair and headed to the fabric store.

Once he reached the manhole to the store, Mikey climbed up the ladder and moved the piece of metal, allowing him access to the surface. Thankfully, he didn't need to go far to find fabric. There was a box of fabric next to some trashcans at the back of the store. After making sure no one was looking, Mikey grabbed the box and got back into the sewer before you can say 'cowabunga'.

After he returned to the lair, Mikey got to work.

* * *

Donny was trying to figure out what to make for Athena that was meaningful. He couldn't make any kind of machinery for fear of her swallowing a screw or worse. But he also wanted to use his brain to make it. But what could he do?

Deciding to take a break, Donny left his room and went to the living area. It was there that he saw Mikey working with a needle and a thread, poking his fingers while he was at it.

"What are you working on?" T

he second youngest brother asked the youngest. Mikey answered, not taking his eyes off the cloth he was working on.

"A doll for Sis."

Donny tilted his head in thought.

"A doll? Out of cloth?"

"Well, isn't that how the first dolls were made? And don't say anything about Corn Dolls. I couldn't find a cob anywhere."

"But what about clay dolls?"

Mikey then looked up from his project and gave a quizzled look.

"You can make dolls out of clay?"

Realizing what he had said, Donny held up his hands in front of his brother.

"J-just stick with a cloth doll. She'll appreciate that more."

As he continued to make the doll, Mikey then spoke.

"Did you come up with something to give Athena?"

Donny blushed with embarrassment. But as he was about to say something, he saw some yarn and a set of knitting needles in the box along with an instruction book.

_"Well that was convenient."_ He thought.

Taking the knitting items, Donny spoke to Mikey.

"Can I borrow these?"

Mikey looked at what his brother had and shrugged as he went back to work.

"Go ahead. Just be sure to snip up some yarn hair for me when you can."

Thanking Mikey, Donny took his items to his room and began to work.

* * *

Leo and Raph didn't have much luck in finding a gift on their own, so they went to work to finding their gifts together. They went to the section of the sewer that was underneath the junkyard to find anything that might have been swept away. As they were looking, they began to talk.

"So what are Mikey and Donny doin' back at the lair?" Raph asked.

Leo answered as he looked through some rubbish.

"Mikey's making a doll and Donny's doing some knitting. Won't tell me what, though."

Raph couldn't help but snicker.

"But ain't knitting and sewing girl's work?"

"Not exactly. Master Splinter sews."

"But that's because Athena needed cloths and diapers. Those two are making toys and whatever."

Leo rolled his eyes.

"It's the thought that counts, Raph. Now let's see if we can find something for Athena."

Raph kept quiet as they scrounged for something to give their sister. The red turtle found a toy cat that needed a good scrubbing and sewing along with a pair of button eyes. Leo, on the other hand, couldn't find anything, so he decided to go back to the lair with Raph and his present.

As Raph was cleaning up the toy, Leo began to wonder what he should get Athena. The baby didn't need much other than the bare necessities. Of course, she will be getting too big for her cradle-basket once she's a toddler. Looking at his sleeping sister, Leo got an idea.

"That's it!"

Turning on his heel, Leo dashed out of the lair and returned with a wagon to the junkyard's sewer. There, he scrounged around once again until he found what he was looking for.

"Perfect! Now to get it fixed and ready for Christmas."

* * *

Christmas day came and the boys were eager to give their father and sister their presents. Splinter had come home with the tree the night before and noticed how hard his sons were working on their presents. It did his heart good when he found out what his sons were giving their sister for her first Christmas.

After being poked a hundred times and was forced to wear bandages on his fingers along with some help from Splinter, Mikey made Athena a little brown yarn-haired doll that wore a greed dress and had button eyes. It wasn't much, but it was pretty good considering it was made by a five-year old. Mikey gave the doll the name 'Takara', which meant 'treasure' in Japanese.

After getting himself tangled a bunch of time and getting poked by the knitting needles, Donny made Athena a green and white stripped blanket large enough to cover the entire family. He didn't know how to stop and just kept going until Splinter got home to help him end the massive blanket. But it was certain that it will keep Athena warm during the winter months.

Raph, after getting it sewed up and washed, gave the blue and purple plaid cat some navy blue button eyes and had Splinter embroider a smile and a new nose on the kitty's face. He gave the kitty the name 'Hikari', which meant 'light'.

And Leo's gift had the most assemblage that he needed both Donny and Splinter to help him clean it up and put it together. It was an old oak crib with a new mattress, pillow, and coverings in a solid light green color. The coverings was all Leo could find at the moment, but he got them cleaned with Hikari and checked countless times to make sure that the crib was sturdy and the baby wouldn't hurt herself in anyway.

Despite only a couple of months old at most, Athena was very happy with her Christmas presents.

* * *

After his children gathered around to play with Athena, Splinter walked over to the tree he obtained and pulled out from his kimono a small box. Inside were five fabrage egg ornaments that were in his children's respective colors: red, blue, green, orange, and violet. Splinter had found these eggs while scowering the surface for a present for his children.

After finding the beautiful eggs, Splinter was making his way home, his cloak protecting him from the cold, when he witnessed a pair of thieves trying to rob a jewelry store. Despite his better judgment, Splinter attacked the thieves and tied them up, keeping his cloak close so that he would not be discovered.

The store owner, grateful to Splinter, asked if there was any way he could reward the cloaked stranger. After refusing, the store owner noticed the egg box and asked what he was getting his loved ones for Christmas. Leaving the mutation details out, Splinter explained about his children and his find and was ready to head home when the store owner came up with an idea.

After re-entering his store, the store owner came out with the most beautiful crystal lotus blossom Splinter had ever seen. It was green like emeralds and glistened among the streetlights and the Christmas snow. At first, Splinter refused over and over again. But in the end, he surrendered at the man's generosity and gratitude and took the crystal free of charge. He decided it would be his personal gift to his daughter, just as his sons have made personal gifts for their sister.

Once his sons were in bed, worn out from their antics and activates, Splinter carried his daughter to the crib Leo salvaged and tucked her in with the blanket Donny made. He then placed Hikari and Takara in the crib before Splinter finally finished with his gifts. On the tree he placed the five fabrage eggs in various places before returning to Athena's room to place the crystal lotus on the dresser nearby.

And before he left, he turned to his sleeping daughter and whispered, "_Merii __Kurisumasu_, Athena."

Years later, Athena still cherishes Takara and Hikari, wraps herself up with the giant blanket, and keeps the crystal lotus in her room for display. As for the crib, she grew out of it, but they still keep it for the future.


End file.
